New Microsoft Industry Experience Center Showcases Digimarc Platform

BEAVERTON, Ore., Nov. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Digimarc Corporation (NASDAQ: DMRC) announced that several applications of its Platform are featured in the newly designed Microsoft Industry Experience Center (IEC) in Redmond, Washington, and the Microsoft Technology Center (MTC) in Munich, Germany, recently reopened for enterprise customers. Both locations showcase the Digimarc Platform in the retail section of the exhibit, featuring Digimarc Barcode for Packaging and Thermal Labels and Digimarc scanning software integrated into Microsoft Windows 10. The two companies have a history of working together to improve retailer operational efficiency and increase consumer engagement with products, and now the partnership is on full, immersive display at Microsoft's regional headquarters.

Microsoft's IEC and MTC showcase Digimarc Platform-based solutions that deliver easier checkout, consumer engagement, inventory management, manufacturing quality control and an overall streamlined package journey though the retail supply chain. The heart of the Platform is Digimarc Barcode, a visually imperceptible data carrier that can be read by smartphones, point-of-sale scanners and other devices enabled with Digimarc Discover software.

"I'm pleased to have Digimarc on board for another exciting showcase on display in the retail and consumer goods area of our Microsoft Technology Center in Munich," said Xenia Giese, Industry Solution Executive Retail & Consumer Goods (Microsoft Deutschland GmbH). "The Digimarc Platform strikes a chord with the retail and consumer brands Industry, as the solutions it enables support the growth of efficiencies at checkout and in supply chain management."

Digimarc demos at the Microsoft IEC in Redmond include:

• Connected Coffee: Digimarc Barcode-enabled coffee cups, or "connected cups," track a drink order and process fulfillment time, as well as provide customers additional content without the risk of a damaged thermal label from spillage.
• Shelf-Edge Tags: Shelf-edge tags that incorporate Digimarc Barcode and enable a direct connection to shoppers at the point of decision. Developed with Vestcom, the industry leader in data-integrated shelf-edge solutions for retailers and consumer brands, the demonstration is an integration of Vestcom's @shelf product and Digimarc Barcode. Once shoppers scan the tag with their smartphones, they receive relevant content, such as personalized pricing, promotional offers and recipes to drive engagement and purchase. Store associates can also use mobile devices for improved inventory management, as well as to employ robots to scan shelves for planogram compliance, saving time and freeing up associates to help customers on the floor.
• Flexible Pricing for Fresh Food: Digimarc Barcode for Thermal Labels provides retailers with dynamic pricing abilities on soon-to-be-expired fresh foods. With this capability, a grocery retailer can offer a progression of discounts on expiring foods instead of discarding them as waste and inventory shrink. Store associates scan Digimarc Barcode on thermal labels to see when the product will be expiring to adjust prices on-the-go, while the shopper can check expiration dates and other useful information by scanning the label with the retailer's app, Digimarc Discover, and other partner applications.

"The inclusion of the Digimarc Platform in Microsoft's experience centers is a testament of our strong Microsoft partnership and the growing value and maturity of our products," said Heidi Dethloff, vice president of marketing, Digimarc. "Retailers are seeking more operational efficiency and less friction for their shoppers. And the retail applications of the Digimarc Platform can help them address these goals. Visitors will find interactive displays that showcase the full capabilities of Digimarc in a variety of retail settings."

The Digimarc Platform enables an ecosystem of connected devices, such as smartphones, retail barcode scanners and machine vision systems to easily identify content of all kinds, based on GS1 standard data or proprietary information. Digimarc is working with leading retailers and consumer products companies to improve retail store operations and consumer engagement.

Learn more about how the Digimarc Platform benefits retailers. 

About Digimarc

Digimarc Corporation (NASDAQ: DMRC) is a pioneer in the automatic identification of everyday objects such as product packaging and virtually any media, including print, images and audio. The Digimarc Platform provides innovative and comprehensive automatic recognition technologies to simplify search, and transform information discovery through unparalleled reliability, efficiency and security. Digimarc has a global patent portfolio, which includes over 1,100 granted and pending patents. These innovations include state-of-the-art identification technology, Digimarc Barcode, as well as Digimarc Discover® software for barcode scanning, image recognition, as layers of its ground-breaking Platform. Digimarc is based in Beaverton, Oregon. The Digimarc Platform enables applications that benefit retailers and consumer brands, national and state government agencies, media and entertainment industries, and others. Visit digimarc.com and follow us @digimarc to learn more about The Barcode of Everything®.

About Microsoft Industry Experience Center

The Industry Experience Center (IEC) empowers customers to envision the art of the possible for their own digital transformation journey with Microsoft as their industry advisor and digital partner. The IEC provides a differentiated executive touchpoint that illustrates thought leadership and industry innovation through immersive experiences and storytelling. The center highlights cutting-edge technologies, innovative solutions and powerful demonstrations that showcase how customers and partners are working with Microsoft to disrupt their industry and to bring digital transformation to life. IEC engagements help spark creative ideas, inspired conversations and new opportunities to unlock insights and drive innovation. The IEC enables partners to showcase joint solutions driving digital transformation that we've partnered on together. The center generates broad visibility to a diverse range of customers and allows them to engage direction with partner solutions. Many experiences at the IEC scale to Microsoft's technology centers (MTC) and experience centers (EC) worldwide for further global exposure.

About Vestcom

Little Rock, Ark.-based Vestcom is the leading provider of customized shelf-edge communications and specialized marketing services for the retail industry—delivering proven results and influencing shopper behavior at the point-of-decision for the nation's top retailers and their suppliers, processing more than two billion price/promotion updates weekly through its production facilities located across the United States. Vestcom's services benefit retail clients by reducing total cost of ownership, increasing retail sales and coordinating in-store execution with retailers and their brand partners. For more information about Vestcom visit www.vestcom.com.